Bukayo Saka's goal for Arsenal against Fulham in midweek shared similarities with Thierry Henry's momentous strike against Leeds United in 2012, Gunners expert Charles Watts has claimed.
The 23-year-old made his highly-anticipated comeback from a serious hamstring injury during the London derby with the Cottagers, and barely seven minutes after his introduction, the England international scored the goal that would prove pivotal in a 2-1 win.
Saka immediately made a dart over to the Arsenal bench to acknowledge Sam Wilson - the club's strength and conditioning coach - as the Emirates crowd applauded the winger, whose strike evoked memories of Henry for Watts.
Arsenal's all-time top scorer returned for a brief spell on loan in the 2011-12 season, and he memorably came off the bench to score the winner in a 1-0 FA Cup triumph over Leeds, triggering pandemonium inside the North London walls.
"That just sums him up as a player and a character," Watts said when asked about Saka's celebration. "The goal itself, it was very special to be there. I was there when Henry came back against Leeds, and it reminded me of that. It wasn't as big as that - he hadn't been away for years - but it was still very, very special.
"The cheer that rippled around the stadium when he was warming up, and then when he started to take his top off, everyone got to their feet. The noise was incredible. The atmosphere wasn't great. It was a classic end of season game. But that energised the entire place, the roar that went around the stadium when he ran on.
Watts: 'Saka goal reminded me of Henry'
"He admitted it himself - it's something he'll remember forever. It just sums up what Arsenal feel about Bukayo Saka, how important he is and how much the fans love him. For him to top it off by scoring after whatever it was, he just writes his own scripts.
"It was an easy goal, but how many times have we sat there and watched balls flash across goal and someone hasn't been in the right place at the right time. That's what Saka does. He sniffs out chances and was there to score. A very easy finish, but one that a different player might not be in that position to take advantage of. It was a fantastic night from that point of view."
Saka's close-range header was one of a few Arsenal attacking success stories on Tuesday evening, as the Gunners firstly broke the deadlock through Mikel Merino's seventh goal of the season via an Ethan Nwaneri assist.
Arteta also witnessed Gabriel Martinelli play a key role in Saka's strike, driving at the Fulham backline before laying off Merino, who in turn picked out his Brazilian teammate inside the penalty area.
Martinelli's improvised flick found Saka at the back post to score, and the South American was on song throughout the game, creating five chances and completing two successful dribbles in the derby triumph.
With Saka and Martinelli both back from injury while Nwaneri and Merino continue to impress at the tip of the attack, Watts is optimistic that Tuesday's win could be a turning point for a previously faltering and decimated Arsenal attack.
Asked if the Fulham victory could be the catalyst for better attacking fortunes, Watts responded: "Hopefully. Gabriel Martinelli was electric all night. The first time he got the beating of Castagne, you could just see a little light flick on like 'I've got the beating of him here.' From that moment on, he just took him on constantly.
Martinelli "electric" as Arsenal's attacking performance hailed
Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli pictured on October 5, 2024© Imago
"That's what you want to see from Martinelli, which we probably haven't seen enough this season. If he can continue that sort of form, you've got a real quality winger on your hands. His part in the goal was excellent. The intent of getting the ball, driving towards the penalty area, laying off and then following on. The little flick to Saka was brilliant.
"Merino scored again, albeit via a deflection, but he was still in the position and worked so hard all night - he was involved in the second goal - so it was good to see the attackers all chipping in. It's what you need between now and the end of the season.
"It's been tough for Arsenal's attack. No doubt about it. But you look at Merino's numbers, it's very hard to criticise what he's doing. He's doing such a good job for the team.
"If Arsenal are going to have any chance of getting past Real Madrid, they're going to need to score some goals because Real are going to score some goals. It's promising. You've got Saka back, but the other players who have been there for a while are contributing goals or assists."
While the success over Fulham was a success from an attacking point of view, the Gunners were dealt no fewer than three defensive injury blows, as Ben White picked up a knock before the game while Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber hurt themselves during.
It has now been confirmed that Gabriel will miss the remainder of the season with his hamstring problem, a devastating blow ahead of their Champions League quarter-final double-header with Real Madrid later this month.
ID:569310:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7812:
No Data Analysis info